Rain of Fire
by blackroseluvr
Summary: Lucy had everything. A boyfriend, a loving sister, and friends. But what happens when the day before a mission, everything disappears? Break ups, amnesia, a prophecy and... the return of magic! A non-magic modern AU
1. Don't Say Goodbye

Lucy Heartfilia stared at her partner and boyfriend, Natsu Dragneel, as he talked to his childhood friend, Lisanna Strauss. Recently, the blond couldn't help but be a bit jealous of the silver-haired girl who seemed to be spending more time with her boyfriend, than Lucy did. The salmon-haired weirdo she loved only ever seemed to talk about Lisanna when they were together. They hardly went on dates and lately, the only time they seemed to spend together was when they were on missions. Both Lucy and Natsu had instantly hit it off when she first joined the organization and even though he was reluctant at first, he quickly accepted her as his partner. It didn't take long for both of them to fall in love and in less than a year, they were already dating.

"Lucy, can I talk to you for a bit?" A beautiful woman with scarlet hair called out to her as Lucy looked away from the two talking a few feet away.

"What's up Erza?" Lucy asked as she walked up to her friend.

"Are you okay? You seem a little out of it lately." Lucy was surprised that someone had noticed her recent mood change and instinctively glanced at Natsu. Erza looked past Lucy and seemed to understand instantly. "Don't worry, I'm sure he's just glad he finally got to see his old partner again. He had been blaming himself for the past few years for not being able to protect her when they had the accident. He still loves you," Erza assured as she embraced the depressed blond.

"You really think so?" Lucy asked as she hugged her friend.

"Hey, he promised not to hurt you when I said I would eliminate him if he did." Erza laughed as she remembered Natsu's scared face. Lucy couldn't help but laugh nervously along for fear of upsetting the weapon master beside her. "But if he did," Erza began as Lucy felt a chill down her spine. If this were an anime, like the ones she liked to watch Saturday nights after a long mission, she could have sworn Erza had a dark aura surrounding her. "Let's just say he might never be heard from again. But let's not think about that, what about your birthday tomorrow? I can't give you the day off, but we can meet up after your mission with Levy."

"Sure, I'll bring Michelle over and we can all hang out together." Erza nodded in satisfaction as she watched her friends' face light up.

"Well then, go home and get some rest. You'll need all your energy tomorrow when you spend all day translating ancient texts with Levy."

"Isn't it exciting, though? To translate texts from an ancient civilization that everyone thought was extinct, only to have their descendants show up after the Great War... That's just a dream come true for a linguist like me and Levy-chan!" Lucy smiled brightly as she hugged Erza before gathering her things. "I'll see you tomorrow Erza!" Lucy cried as she ran to the elevator.

"What the heck?!" Lucy could hear Erza's confusion as the red-head held up a weapon in her hands.

' _Had Erza been holding one earlier? Eh, who knows?'_ Lucy watched as the doors of the elevator slowly closed _. 'I can't wait to go home and tell Michelle what I'll be doing tomorrow!'_ Lucy ran but stopped when she reached the end of the street. There, as she ignored the cars that drove by and the people who were making their way home after a long day, Lucy saw Natsu hug Lisanna. As the light changed and she walked closer to them, she could faintly hear what they were saying.

"Natsu, I love you, but you have to make up your mind. You and I were a couple and I understand that you moved on after you thought I was dead. But you can't keep me and Lucy waiting to make up your mind." Lisanna stepped back and went wide-eyed when she saw Lucy. Sadness filled her eyes and she took a step back.

Natsu, still unaware that Lucy was there, took a step back in surprise when she stepped in between them. The street seemed to suddenly go quiet as it quickly emptied out.

"Natsu do you still love Lisanna?" Lucy asked as she took a deep breath. _'I can't be sad, I did see this coming. But then again, he's_ my _boyfriend. He's been with me for three years, I can't help wanting to tell him to stay.'_ Lucy bit her bottom lip as she considered her options.

"Luce!" Natsu seemed to finally snap out of his shocked state and took another step back, trying to stand up straight. "It's not what you think. It's just-"

"Then what is it supposed to be?" Lucy's voice came out in a calm and collected tone but the pain she was trying to stop from reaching her voice was still evident.

"Just answer the question Natsu," Lisanna pleaded. "We both love you and it's obvious that you can't make up your mind. It's not fair to any of us..." Lisanna felt tears stream down her face but she quickly wiped them away and tried to hide them. If anyone was suffering, it was Lucy.

"I don't know," Natsu began as he seemed to be at a loss for words.

"You have to choose Natsu. You can't have both of us and we can't wait forever for you to make up your mind." Lucy spoke a little louder as she felt her eyes sting like they hadn't done in a long time. The familiar burn only caused the tightness in her chest to grow and she bit her bottom lip ever so slightly, showing no such action from the outside.

"Luce... I..." Lucy held her breath as Natsu took a step towards her. Time seemed to slow down and she felt as if her heart would stop as she waited for him to reach her. However, Natsu walked past her and embraced Lisanna instead.

"Natsu!" Lisanna cried in surprise as she cried in happiness.

Lucy felt a single tear slide down her cheek as she let out the breath she had been holding. "I'm happy for you two," Lucy said with a smile but was surprised when she felt her cheek tickle with more tears. "Wha- Oh god, this is embarrassing." She wiped her tears as Natsu and Lisanna looked at her with sadness.

"Lucy..." Lisanna called.

"Luce-" Natsu began as he reached out for her only to have her step away from him. It shocked him that she would pull away and he couldn't help but feel a strong jab in his heart as he saw her wipe her tears with her hands. Her pink mark reflected the pale moonlight off her tear covered hands as she frantically tried to hide her tears.

"I'm fine," Lucy muttered as she took another step back. "I-I just remembered that I need to go pick Michelle up and I'm already running late. I'll see you guys later!" Lucy turned around and took two steps before stopping. "We'll just be friends from now on so don't worry about me, okay?" Lucy turned around and smiled at her friends before turning back and running as fast as her legs could carry her. She ran and ran until she reached the cram school where Michelle was waiting for her.

"Onee-san!" Michelle cried as she ran up to her older sister with a smile.

"Hey!" Lucy greeted with a smile as she hugged the younger girl who looked up at her with bright green eyes.

"What's wrong?" Michelle could easily tell that something was bothering her sister. "Does it have something to do with Natsu?" The sadness on Lucy's face made it clear that it did and it didn't take long for her to put two and two together. "Did you break up?" Lucy nodded. Michelle didn't want press any further. What did Lucy like to do when she was upset? "Do you want to go karaoke with me? It's still pretty early."

"Sure," Lucy said with a smile as they walked towards the karaoke bar.

* * *

"Natsu," Lisanna said as she held Natsu's hand. She was happy, but she couldn't help feeling guilt as she remembered her friends tears.

"Hey, why do you seem so down?" Natsu asked as he tried to forget Lucy's face. It had hurt to see her smile for them while she cried. He took a drink of his soda as he tried to ignore the pain in his heart. He flipped through the pages of the karaoke songs and stopped when he heard a name being called down the hall.

* * *

"Lucy!"

Lucy laughed as she turned to meet the blond-haired agent who worked for the Sabertooth organization. She smiled at him and at the black-haired man behind him who she often ran into during missions. "Sting! Rogue! What brings you guys here?" Lucy asked as they joined her.

"We were out having a look around and decided to have some fun before going to the station." Sting ran a hand through his blond locks as Rogue introduced himself to Michelle. "Is that your sister?"

"Ah, yes! Michelle, this is Sting. Sting, this is Michelle." Lucy watched as her sister greeted Sting with a smile on her face. She knew that Michelle was planning something when she saw that gleam in her eyes she only ever had when Michelle visited her at work and talked with her boss, Mirajane Strauss.

"Where's your boyfriend?" Sting asked as Lucy shifted uncomfortably.

"Actually, he's my ex now." Lucy spoke softly, but everyone grew silent as they took in her depressed state.

" _But_ ," Michelle interrupted the awkward silence. "That just means that my beautiful and loving older sister is now free. I'd keep her if I could, but I'll happily share her if it's with a guy like you two." Lucy felt herself blush as she scrambled to cover Michelle's mouth.

Sting laughed at the two sisters as he turned to Rouge who nodded, before turning back to the girls. "I might take you up on that offer," Sting muttered as Lucy froze and Michelle squealed. "How about you guys join us? Yukino is here, I'm sure she'd love to sing a duet with you." Sting signaled the door to their right and Lucy nodded as everyone greeted her.

"Lucy!" Yukino cried as she ran up and hugged the blond. "It's been so long! Come, I want to hear you sing!" Yukino cried as she handed the microphone to Lucy.

* * *

Natsu heard the door next door close and felt relieved that Lisanna hadn't seemed to catch on, or if she did, she made no sign of knowing. _'At least she's not crying. But seriously, of all people, it had to be_ Sting _?!'_ Natsu thought in slight irritation as he saw Lisanna set down the microphone.

"Ugh, I'm beat. I need a break!" Lisanna smiled as she simply laid down on the coach, silence filling the room.

Suddenly, the two of them could hear music playing next door and they held their breaths as they realized it was Lucy's voice.

* * *

"I want to hear you sing this song, I'm sure you're voice would be perfect for it!" Yukino smiled as the music to Nina's _Don't Say Goodbye_ began to play. Sting signaled for her to try and change the song, but Lucy began to sing instead.

 _Today I heard my favorite song on the radio_

 _I close my eyes and saw our first hello_

 _And then I saw the time we fell in love_

 _In each others' arms_

 _I open my eyes and you were gone_

 _Suddenly I realized how I love you so_

 _And how I get surprised without your love_

 _Since the time we said goodbye_

 _It's hard to make you stay_

 _How I wish you'd never go away_

Everyone stared at Lucy in amazement as her beautiful voice echoed throughout the room. They could tell that she was putting all of her feelings into the song. Yukino smiled at her friend as she nodded in approval. She had purposefully chosen this song after hearing what Lucy had said in the hallway. It always helped to talk about your feelings, even if it was indirectly. And considering how there was no music playing next door, she knew _He_ must be listening.

 _Don't say goodbye_

 _It's hard to let you go_

 _Tomorrow seems so far away for me to know_

 _If you and I will always be in love forevermore_

 _Don't leave me with the memories_

 _All alone_

 _Alone_

 _Today I read your letters_

 _And waited for your call_

 _I wondered if you think of me at all_

 _And then I turn the radio on_

 _And heard our favorite song_

 _Then I knew you'll soon be coming home_

 _Don't say goodbye_

 _It's hard to let you go_

* * *

Natsu knew these were the words she had wanted to tell him. She wanted him to stay, but how could he do that to Lisanna? They were together before she disappeared and now that she was back, he couldn't leave her again. If he had only been there that night... He shook his head as Lisanna gently squeezed his hand.

She knew that this was hurting all of them.

* * *

 _Tomorrow seems so far away for me to know_

 _If you and I will always be in love forevermore_

 _Don't leave me with the memories_

 _All alone_

 _Don't say goodbye_

 _It's hard to let you go_

 _Tomorrow seems so far away for me to know_

 _If you and I will always be In love forevermore_

 _Don't leave me with the memories_

 _All alone_

 _All alone_

Lucy opened her eyes slowly as her friends cheered her on. She had never sung outside of the shower and even then, it was embarrassing. Yukino grabbed another mic and said she had to sing with her.

* * *

"Natsu," Lisanna called softly as she stood up. "I think it's best if we each go home now. It's been a long day and tomorrow will be even longer." Lisanna was excited about the party they had been planning for months and was curious if Natsu even remembered what tomorrow was.

Natsu stood up and followed her out as they walked past the room where they could hear Lucy and Yukino singing. He was pretty sure that is one a theme song for one of her favorite anime's that she newfangled aover with Yukino.

* * *

Lucy and Michelle waved their friends goodbye as they boarded the train. It was almost midnight and the girls were eager to sleep. As they walked through the park, they failed to notice a set of eyes watching them.

* * *

Natsu laughed as he exited the cafe with Lisanna by his side. They had talked and hung out like the old days but it wasn't the same. He knew deep down that he loved Lucy, but he couldn't leave Lisanna. Not after he had finally found her again. It was his fault Lisanna had gotten hurt on their last mission before she went missing. If only he had stayed by her side…

"Natsu..." Lisanna called softly as she grabbed his hand.

"What's wrong?" Natsu forced a smile as he turned to the silver-haired girl.

"Don't do this Natsu. I know you still feel guilty and I know you love Lucy. I thought about it overnight and over breakfast, and I realize that I got in between you two. I wanted things to be like before, but I now realize that instead of holding you back, I should be pushing you forward and I'm sorry for that. I'm happy with just being friends but I know it's not the same for you and Lucy. Go after her, I'm sure it's not too late," Lisanna said with a smile.

"Thank you," Natsu said as his phone suddenly rang, he looked at the caller I.D. and was surprised that his friend was calling him this early in the morning. "E-Erza, what's up?"

"Lucy's missing!" Erza cried.


	2. For 2 Years

"Natsu, we found something we need you to see. No matter how painful it is, promise me you won't go crazy." Erza said as Natsu agreed.

"If it'll help us find her, I'll do anything! I can't lose her!" Natsu clenched his fists as Erza motioned someone to play a video on the giant screen. Natsu instantly recognized the scenery. "This is the park near Lucy's house."

"We pulled this off one of the CCTVs in the park." Erza fixed her glasses as Lucy and Michelle came into view. It was obvious that Lucy was crying while Michelle patted her gently on her shoulders.

"I'll be fine." Lucy's voice echoed throughout the room as everyone listened carefully. "I guess it's just time to move on." Lucy turned to Michelle and smiled the beautiful smile everyone was missing. "Thanks Michelle, for letting me sing my heart out."

"It isn't something worth being thanked for," Michelle quickly cried in embarrassment.

"Don't say that!" Lucy hugged her sister tightly as Michelle blushed.

"I'm going to go play on the swings!" Michelle cried as she ran to hide her red face.

"Hah, still a kid," Lucy muttered as she tried to stifle a giggle. Lucy leaned back and looked up at the stars. "Nee, Natsu," Lucy said to herself. "Did you know that you're the biggest idiot I've ever met?" Lucy closed her eyes and smiled, "But that was- _Is_ what I love about you."

Natsu felt a stabbing pain as he saw Lucy try to hold in her tears. Suddenly, several men began to show up on the screen and by the time they heard Michelle scream, Lucy was already outnumbered.

Everyone helplessly watched with held breaths as last night's events played out before them.

* * *

"Onee-San!' Michelle cried as she was thrown over a man's shoulder.

"Michelle!" Lucy cried as she found herself surrounded by several armed men. "Who are you people?! Give Michelle back to me!" Lucy grabbed the whip she carried on her waist and began to fight the men in an effort to reach Michelle.

"Onee-San!" Michelle cried as she was thrown into a van.

"Michelle!" Lucy cried as someone hit her hard on her head. Everything seemed to become a blur as someone held her in place. Pain suddenly shot through her body but all she could do was gasp as Michelle screamed. Lucy couldn't feel anything once the cold metal of a sword was pulled out from her abdomen, or maybe the pain was just too strong for her to tell. As her back hit the floor, she tried to focus on Michelle. She reached out her hand for her beloved sister as she felt the sword being thrust into her again.

"ONEE-SAN!" Michelle cried as she was pulled into that van and the door was closed.

"Mi..che...lle..." Lucy closed her eyes as everything became one huge blur. She thought about her sister and about Fairy Tail. She thought about Natsu and the words she had wanted to tell him.

 _'Don't leave... Please don't leave me...Natsu... I love you...'_

* * *

Gasps were heard throughout the room as they watched their precious blond practically being left to die. As Michelle was taken away, everyone grew furious when they saw one of the men kick Lucy. Natsu reached his limit when he saw Lucy mouth something that couldn't be heard. As the expert lip-reader that he was, he felt on the verge of tears when he saw her hand go limp.

 _'Natsu'_

Suddenly, another man showed up and knocked out the man who had hurt Lucy. He pulled out the sword and took her in his arms. "I finally found you, my princess." His voice echoed throughout the room before looking up at the camera and smiling back at them. "I hope you guys don't mind, but I'm taking my princess back with me," the man said before turning around. Natsu was frozen as he watched the stranger hold Lucy in his arms. _His_ Lucy.

"Freeze it!" Erza cried as she made someone rewind the footage and zoom in on the man's face. She asked for the image to be enhanced and his voice to be run through their database. "That's Loke isn't it?!" Erza cried in surprise as someone confirmed it. "What would Loke be doing there?!"

"Whose Loke?" Natsu asked as Levy's crying mixed with that of the other girls.

"Oh that's right, you guys haven't really been around at the same time. Loke is an agent of ours but he went on a mission two months ago and we hadn't heard from him since. He said he had to find his Princess and from the looks of it, he thinks it's Lucy. We lost touch with him and for him to suddenly show up... Have everyone look at the footage of all nearby CCTVs! We have to find them!" Erza cried as everyone got back to work.

 _'Hang on Luce, I'm going to find you.'_ Natsu slammed his fist against a nearby wall. _'I swear that I will!'_

* * *

Loke watched the sleeping blond through the glass window of the infirmary. Miraculously, no vital organs were severely damaged and with a blood transfusion, she was fine in no time. The only problem was that she wouldn't wake up.

For two years, Loke had watched the blond recover from her injuries. For two years, he had stayed by her side as often as he could. He would even talk to her as he ate his meals. For _two_ years, Loke did nothing but pray to Mavis that she would wake up.

After learning that there was someone with the ability to save them, Loke had desperately searched for the girl who could lead them to salvation. Who would have known that his beloved Lucy Heartfilia was the girl?

"Loke-san," his shy friend called as she apologized for interrupting him. "Lucy-san appears to be waking up." Loke instantly ran inside.

"Lucy?" Loke cried as he burst into the room and found the blond girl looking up at the ceiling.

"Is that my name?" Lucy asked as she turned to him. Loke was surprised but quickly remembered Aries's diagnostic when she finished her operation on Lucy. 

"She's going to be fine, but I can't say the same about her memory. It's possible that the blunt force trauma she suffered could lead her to have amnesia. If it's not partial or temporary, then it'll be permanent." Aries apologized for being unable to do more and burst into tears. "We finally found her and now she..."

"It'll be okay. She's strong, she'll pull through." Loke muttered as he tried to assure the young girl.

"Your name is Lucy. That's all we know about you," Loke lied as he took a step forward. "My name is Loke and this is my friend, Dr. Aries. She's the one who has been looking after you."

Lucy looked at them with a blank expression before breaking into a smile. "It's nice to meet you!" Both Loke and Aries couldn't help but smile back despite the bitter feeling in their hearts. "Um, may I ask what I'm doing here?" Lucy looked around the infirmary and noticed it was pretty small for a hospital room. Both the man in the suit and the girl with pink hair seemed to hold a wordless conversation before Loke turned to her.

"I found you in a park a while back. Do you remember anything from that night?" Loke asked as he tried to avoid going into details. How could he tell her that she was practically left to die? Or that she had practically missed out on two years of her life? No, if he was going to do this, he would have to fill her in bit-by-bit.

"Nothing really," Lucy replied as she held her chin in thought. "I was walking somewhere with Michelle-" Suddenly, Lucy remembered everything that had happened at the park. "My sister... Where is my sister?" Lucy asked softly as she looked up at a surprised Aries and Loke.  
"We don't know where she is," Loke muttered as he sat in the chair next to Lucy with a sigh. "But we have an idea on where we can find her." Loke held her hand and smiled at the blond. It was a shame she didn't remember anything else, or he could have found out if she remembered him. He owed her his life after all.

"Why?" Lucy looked into Loke's eyes with teary eyes. "Why would anyone do that to us?" Tears streamed down Lucy's cheeks as she began to cry. Loke held her gently in his arms, afraid that if he held her any tighter she would break like a porcelain doll. She furrowed her face into his chest and pulled on his black coat as she cried.

Loke's eyes furrowed in anger and disappointment as he tightened his hold on her. _'Why? Why can't I do anything for her?! Am I to pay for my sins by being unable to help her?'_ Loke clicked his tongue in disapproval as Lucy sobbed. Never before had he felt so... useless. "I swear," Loke started as he closed his eyes and prayed to the stars for his wish to come true. "I will find your sister, and together, we will make the men who took her away pay for what they have done."

Lucy stopped crying and looked up at Loke with surprise before leaning her head on his chest again.

"Thank you... Loke."

Loke's heart seemed to stop as his eyes went wide. He had longed for many years, just to hear her say his name again. He was so stunned, that he had failed to notice that Lucy had fallen asleep in his arms. As she quietly slept, Loke couldn't help but run his hands through her long blond hair. It had grown significantly over the past two years, almost to the point of reaching her waist. As he took a handful of hair in his hand, he gently brought his hand to his lips and kissed the silky strands. Even if he died trying, he was going to keep his promise to his princess.

* * *

Natsu watched as his friends laughed at each others jokes while eating lunch. He knew that deep down, they were still grieving the loss of Lucy. Hell, he still searched for her when he had free time on his missions abroad. For two years, Fairy Tail searched high and low for her. For two years, they had done all they could. But nothing ever came up. For _two_ years, they struggled to come to terms with the idea that she may be... dead.

Natsu looked at his watch and looked at Erza who nodded at him before pressing a secret button on her bracelet. They were on a mission. Today, they were going to take down a group of people who were under suspicion of planning a terrorist attack on a duke.

As if on cue, a group of men entered the restaurant and quickly made their way to the table next to them.

"Excuse me," a blue-haired man interrupted as he leaned on the table. His brown eyes looked at Erza as he loosened the black tie around his neck. "The name's Jeremy, would you like to accompany me for dinner?" Natsu couldn't help but be surprised by how well the girls had been able to cover up Jerall's tattoo with makeup.

"I'm sorry," Gray interrupted as he placed his hand on Jerall's shoulder. "But my lady was eating with me. Get your hands off her and get your ass out of here."

"Now now boys," Mirajane interrupted as she leaned on the table. She was seated in such a way, that the men from the other table could see her leaning on her chest. Her long black dress cascaded elegantly over her legs until it reached the floor. With her silver hair curled and her bangs swept to the side, even Gray blushed when he first saw her. "I'm sure Erina is old enough to choose who she wants to be with. She is, after all, a lady of high status."

Erza sat sideways in her seat as she crossed her left leg over her right one. Her strapless red dress opened on the side, giving the men a view of her legs that was guaranteed to give them nosebleeds. She had a look of boredom and rolled her eyes before waving the boys off. "I'm bored Miya," Erza sighed as the boys looked at her with shock.

"Natsume," Erza called to Natsu as he casually drank from his glass.

"What do you want?" Natsu asked as he put down his drink and leaned back in his chair.

"Natsume, you have good looking friends, can't you call one for me? Pretty please?" Erza leaned on the table, mimicking Mirajane's actions. If the dress weren't made of stretchy red material, designed to allow maximum movement on missions, Natsu was sure her top would have slipped off.

"Are you telling me my company isn't good enough?" Natsu asked as he stood up. "I'll have you know, that not even the duke's wife can resist me." If two sexy women in revealing clothes hadn't done the trick, this had definitely caught the attention of the men at the other table.

"Oh please," Mira began as she took a knife in her hands. "That old hag doesn't compare to the duke himself. I swear, he can be quite... _wild_ at times," Mira took the knife to her dress and cut the black fabric that had covered her body. She skillfully cut the fabric until it was halfway down her thighs before proceeding to tearing of her sleeves. "Sometimes, I need to get a new set of clothes from him just to get back home in clothes." Boy was Laxus going to be upset.

"Well, seeing as how we aren't getting anywhere, let's go home." Natsu pushed his chair in as the girls stood up and intertwined their arms in his.

"Hold on," one of the men called as the trio walked by them. "We would like to talk to you guys," the man said as he blocked their path while the other men surrounded them.

"Not interested," Natsu stated as he attempted to walk by the man.

"We weren't asking," the man said in a threatening voice.

And that was when all hell broke loose. While the men had surrounded Natsu and the girls, Gray and Jerall had surrounded the men with all the other undercover agents who were dressed as waiters. In all the commotion, Natsu ran after one of the men who attempted to get away.

"I'm not letting you run away!" Natsu followed the man out into the alley behind the restaurant. But just as he was about to catch up to him, a flash of gold ran past him as he was slightly pushed to the side.

Natsu froze and quickly turned back, hoping, _praying_ , that it was her. Natsu was shocked when he found a blond-haired girl with long hair panting as she stopped a few feet away. Her white shirt and black jacket clung loosely to her body, but Natsu could tell who it was right away. For two years, he had longed to hold the person standing before him. He had held her back against his chest so many times, he knew that only one person would ever fit in his arms like that. For two years he had cried and blamed himself for her disappearance. For _two years_ he had longed to kiss the soft lips that he had once claimed as his.

He had waited two years to apologize and just when he was about to accept that she may be dead, she was standing before him.

"Lucy?" Natsu called her name softly, testing the name he hadn't said in so long. She turned to look at Natsu with tears of what he assumed to be joy. He held his breath as she started running in his direction and found himself frozen in place despite wanting to do nothing but open his arms and catch her in his embrace. Just as she was in arm's reach, something happened that made his heart stop.

"Loke!" Lucy cried as she ran past him and towards someone behind him. She hadn't even looked at him…

Natsu felt his eyes sting as he laughed at himself. _'So this is how she felt that night... God, I really am a cold-hearted bastard.'_ Natsu turned around and watched as Lucy ran into the arms of an auburn-haired man.

"Michelle!" Lucy cried as she cradled her face into Loke's neck while he looked at her in surprise.

"What about Michelle?" Loke asked as he hugged Lucy close to him.

"She's alive! My sister is _alive!_ " Lucy cried in happiness as she heard footsteps behind her.

"Lucy?" Natsu called as she turned to look at him.

"I'm sorry, do I know you?" Lucy asked with confusion.

Natsu felt as if all the wind had been knocked out of him. _'No way... It can't be that she's-'_ Natsu was interrupted from his thoughts as Lucy cried out in surprise.

"Oh! You're the guy I ran into just now! I'm really sorry about that," Lucy clasped her hands together and bowed apologetically. "I thought I saw someone I knew run this way, but I was wrong."  
Natsu looked at Lucy with mixed emotions. She was a horrible liar and it was clear to him, that she wasn't lying. She didn't know who he was. Even though he had finally found her…

"Lucy, we need to go home. We still haven't fed Plue and if we don't go to Scorpio's surprise party, Aquarius will be upset." Loke laughed as Lucy shuddered in fear of the latter's wrath.

"I want to sleep though," Lucy pouted as she waved Natsu good bye before turning back to Loke and holding his hand.

"Knowing you, you'll probably spend half an hour in the bath before even getting out of the bathroom. Maybe we should just bathe together," Loke suggested as Lucy blushed.

"You pervert!" Lucy cried before playfully punching his arm and turning to leaving the alley.  
Natsu couldn't help but fall to his knees as his phone vibrated. It was a text from a blocked number and when he opened it, Natsu looked up to find Loke smirking at him before disappearing from sight.

 _Be more careful next time, Natsu._

 _The man you were chasing is already under custody._

 _Your welcome.  
_

Natsu slammed his fist onto the concrete floor before letting out a scream that sounded more like an animal growling, rather than a man cursing his stupidity.


End file.
